JPS62159967A - Control information output system for facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve maintenance and services by obtaining control information outside an installation place or the output part of a device concerned according to a designated date. CONSTITUTION:A facsimile equipment 210 writes a 'designated date' in a main control part 27 by a key input device 257, etc., at stages such as shipping and installation. When the designated date comes, the main control part 271 instructs a memory part 247 to read out control information stored so far. In that case read-out data is carried on a telephone line 220 like a reception data 249. The specific telephone number of a facsimile equipment 230 as a CE side is previously stored as attribute data for control information in the memory part 247 together with the control information. Accordingly a specific destination to which the control information is transmitted is the facsimile equipment 230 at the CE side. The constitution of the facsimile equipment 230 at the CE side is at least the same as a part demonstrating a receiving mode function in the facsimile equipment 210, and the control information is printed and outputted.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] This is a management information output method for a facsimile machine, in which management information related to the transmission and reception of information as a facsimile machine is stored, and this management information is output on a specified date specified in advance. is transmitted to a destination having a specific telephone number set in advance, and the status of the facsimile device can be grasped by the destination based on the transmitted management information.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a management information output method for a facsimile machine.

[Conventional technology]

Facsimile machines currently in widespread use use public telephone lines to send and receive information.

When information is exchanged between facsimile machines via a line, a situation may arise in which reading a document and outputting it as two-image information, etc., is not performed normally. Communication failures on such lines are simply treated as unforeseen circumstances; this is not the case; instead, the failure may be caused by the facsimile machine itself or by an operational error. Therefore, from a maintenance perspective, it is extremely important to record these failures so that subsequent failures can be verified.

Conventionally, a CP (customer engineer) in charge of maintenance went directly to the location where a facsimile machine was installed and obtained records of failures in that machine, that is, various management records. Maintenance and inspections were conducted based on this management record.

Further, facsimile machines usually require management such as periodically checking the usage status over a certain predetermined period of time. For example, management information was output when necessary, either by operation or by automatic output on convenient days such as the beginning of the month and the beginning of the second year. Alternatively, there was a method that outputs the information after a certain amount of management information has been accumulated.

In this way, the usage status of the facsimile machine can be grasped based on the outputted management information.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, with this conventional method, maintenance costs are high because the CE has to go to the installation site to obtain the management information necessary for maintenance, and management information cannot be obtained unless the CE actually visits the site. There was a problem with maintenance because it was not possible to do so.

Furthermore, since the management information indicating the usage status was output at a time unrelated to the convenience of the user, there was a problem from the standpoint of understanding the usage status.

The present invention was created in view of these points, and provides a facsimile device management information output method that allows management information of an installed facsimile device to be obtained remotely and on a convenient day. It is.

Means for Solving Problem c] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the principle of a management information output method for a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention.

In the figure, the reader vItl 15 is the transmitting original 1
11 to generate transmission information 113.

The information output unit 'B119 outputs the received information 117 to the outside.

Storage means 121 stores information.

The input means 123 inputs the telephone number of the other party.

The control means 125 stores the transmitted information 113 from the reading means 115 in the storage means 121 and transmits it to the destination of the telephone number inputted by the input means 123, and stores the received information 117 in the storage means 121 and stores the information. The output means 119 controls the external output operation.

The management information means 129 stores management information 127 related to the status of the operation to be controlled by the control means 125 in the storage means 121.
to be memorized.

The designated date setting means 131 sets a specific designated date.

The number setting means 133 sets a specific destination telephone number in the input hand YBt123.

The management information transmitting means 135 controls to transmit the management information 127 stored in the storage means 121 to the specified destination of the telephone number set by the number setter 11i1 (123) on the specified date.

Therefore, the overall configuration is such that the facsimile device transmits management information @127 related to the transmission and reception of information to a specific destination at a remote location.

[Effect]

Normally, the transmission information 113 is transmitted to the other party, and
The control means 125 controls the received information @117 to be outputted by the information output means 119.

However, when the designated date arrives, the management information @127 of the facsimile device is automatically sent to the recipient of the specified telephone number by the number setting means 133.

In the present invention, since the management information 127 is obtained remotely on a designated day, maintenance costs can be reduced, and the usage status of the facsimile machine can be grasped from a convenient date.

〔Example〕

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the facsimile machine 210 is connected to another facsimile machine (not shown) via a telephone line 220. Also,
A CE-side sofa fax machine 230 installed at a remote location is connected to the telephone line 220.

First, the transmission and reception of information in normal operation will be explained.

(2) Transmission Mode Let's look at the case of transmitting from this facsimile machine 210 to another facsimile machine. After reading the original 241, the reading device 243 sequentially writes the read data 245 into the storage memory section 247.

Thereafter, the data stored in this manner is sequentially read out, and the read data 249 is sent to the compression/decompression unit 25.
1 compresses the data. The compressed data 253 is converted into data by a modem 255 and sent to the telephone line 220 to become transmission data.

The transmission data thus sent out is received by another facsimile machine.

The facsimile machine that will be the recipient is determined by the telephone number of the other party input using the key input device 257 or the like. The following description assumes that the facsimile machine 230 of the other party at the input telephone number functions as the receiving side.

(2) Reception mode Reception data sent through the telephone line 220 is first converted into data by the modem 255. The conversion data 25
Since 9 is compressed data, it is decompressed in the compression decompression section 251, and the decompressed data 261 is stored in the storage memory section 2.
47.

The data stored in this way is read out sequentially,
For example, the information is printed out by a recording unit 263 using a printer.

The above transmission and reception operations are controlled by the main control section 271. However, when transmitting and receiving data as described above, reading, printing, etc. may be incomplete. When such a failure occurs in facsimile communication, the main control unit 271 stores management information in the allocated area of the storage memory unit 247 each time.

Incidentally, the facsimile device 210 writes the "designated date" into the main control unit 271 using the key manual device 257 or the like at the stage of shipping, installation, etc., for example.

When the calendar day reaches this specified date, the main control section 271 instructs the storage memory section 247 to read out the management information stored up to that point. In that case, the read data is placed on the telephone line 220 in the same manner as the transmission data 249 described above. However, as the attribute data of the management information in advance, C
The specific telephone number of the E-side sofa fax machine 230 is also stored in the storage memory section 247. Therefore, the specific destination to which management information is sent is the CE side sofa fax machine 230.
be. Since the configuration of this CE-side sofa facsimile device 230 is the same as that of the facsimile device 210 that performs at least the receiving mode function, the management information is printed out.

FIG. 3 shows the sequence of operations in the embodiment of the present invention. Reference will now be made to FIGS. 2 and 3.

In the control sequence in the main control unit 271 of the facsimile machine 210, first, it is determined whether a "designated date" is set (step 311).

If it has not been set (negative determination), a specific designated date is set using the key manual device 0 setting 257. This setting specified date arbitrarily determines an appropriate day to obtain management information (
step 312). However, if the designated date has already been set (affirmative determination), step 312 is skipped.

Next, it is determined whether the CE side sofa fax machine 230 has a specific telephone number set (
step 313). If it has not been set (negative determination), the telephone number on the CB side is set by the key manual device 257 (step 314). However, if it has already been set (affirmative determination), step 314 is skipped.

Thereafter, it is determined whether the current calendar day is a "designated day" (step 315). If it is not the specified date (negative judgment),
Since there is no need to send any management information, the control execution operation ends.

If an affirmative determination is made in step 315, that is, if it is the specified date, the main control unit 271 automatically dials the CB side telephone number (step 316). Accordingly, the facsimile machine 210 and the CE side sofa facsimile machine 23
0 will be interconnected via telephone line 220 (step 317).

Next, the management information stored in the storage memory section 247 is read out and compressed as transmission data 249 (step 318). The compressed data 253 is placed on the telephone line 220 via the modem 255 (step 319). The CE side sofa fax machine 230 receives the management information as received data and records it in its internal recording section (26
(corresponding to step 3), and it is determined whether all of the management information has been output as a manuscript (step 320).
). If it has not been completed, the process returns to step 318 and the above execution operation is repeated. By ending the output, all control operations are ended.

In this way, the management information of the facsimile device 210 can be printed out and acquired at the CB side sofa facsimile device located at a remote location. Therefore, there is no need for the CB to go to the trouble of visiting the location where the facsimile machine w210 is installed, thereby reducing maintenance costs. Furthermore, even if the CE is dispatched to perform maintenance work, since the management information has already been obtained, even if the CE goes to the location where the reference facsimile machine 210 is installed, he or she can immediately take appropriate action, improving maintainability. .

The above is, so to speak, the operation when acquiring management information in terms of failure.

Next, the operation when outputting the usage status of the facsimile device 210 will be explained.

In this case as well, management information based on the usage status of the facsimile device 210 is stored in the storage memory section 247 from the main control section 271. Let's look at the operation when this usage status is output on the last day of every month.

Normally, a specific "designated date" is input using the key input device 257, but if the day is set as a numerical value of 32 or more, the main control section 271 does not accept the input and sets it again using the display section, etc. instruct them to do so.

FIG. 4 shows the operation when the management information is output on the last day of the month. Reference will now be made to FIGS. 2 and 4.

First, as an execution control operation of the main control unit 271, it is determined whether the month of the calendar day has changed (step 410). If the month has not changed (negative judgment), it is not the last day of the month, so the execution control operation returns to the original. However, if the determination is affirmative, then the last day of the month has passed, so it is necessary to output the usage status. Next, check the specified date (
Step 430). In other words, in the case of April, June, September, and November, the specified date should be the 30th day, and in the case of February, it should be the 29th day, depending on whether it is a leap year or not.

``The 28th day of the month is set to j, and for other months, the 31st day of the month is set to ``j.''

Next, it is determined whether the current calendar day is the designated day, that is, the last day of the month (step 440). If negative, return. If affirmative, the management information representing the usage status stored in the storage memory unit 247 is read out and printed out by the recording unit 263 of the facsimile machine 210 or the recording unit of the CB side sofa facsimile machine 230 (step 450). This allows you to easily understand the usage status from the beginning of the month to the end of the month.

By the way, if you want to arbitrarily designate a specific day on which you want to obtain the usage status, you can set it in advance with the key manual device 257 and execute from step 440 based on it.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, management information of a facsimile device can be obtained at a location other than the installation location or at the output section of the device according to a specified date.
Improved maintainability and usage conditions can be obtained on any given day, which is extremely useful in practice.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle block diagram of a management information output method for a facsimile machine according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the order of execution of the present invention. This is a flowchart. In FIG. 1, 121 is a storage means, 125 is a control means, 127 is management information, and 135 is a management information transmission means. In FIG. 2, 210 is a facsimile device, 220 is a telephone line, 230 is a CE side sofa facsimile device 245 for reading data, 247 is a storage memory section, 257 is a key manual device, and 271 is a main control section. Sudden example /) ζ Rikisaku 8th day of the month

Claims (1)

[Claims] Reading means (115) that reads a transmission document (111) and generates transmission information (113), and reception information (117).
), an information output means (119) for outputting the information to the outside, a storage means (121) for storing the information, an input means (123) for the destination telephone number, and an information output means (119) for outputting the information transmitted by the reading means (115) to the storage means. (121) and transmitting the telephone number inputted by the input means (123) to the other party; control means (125) for controlling the operation to be outputted to the outside by the control means (119); and management information (127) related to the state of the operation to be controlled by the control means (125) is stored in the storage means (121). management information means (129) for setting a specific designated date; designated date setting means (131) for setting a specific designated date; number setting means (133) for setting a specific destination telephone number in the input means (123); Management information for controlling the transmission of the management information (127) stored in the storage means (121) to a specific destination of the telephone number set by the number setting means (133) on a designated date; 1. A management information output method for a facsimile device, characterized in that it is configured to have a transmitting means (135).